No Boot Device Found.

M

mikethe1wheelnut

Greetings!

..I broke something..

I was following this tutorial: TechMimic, and at ~11:07, the guy says to remove the installation medium. ..so I did. The computer immediately screamed bloody-murder. I had to do a hard shut-down to get it's attention again. I have checked the handbook, and it as well is vague about exactly when the installation medium should be removed. This video -is- clearer. It is very specific about exactly -when- the medium should be removed, which is solidly -after- techmimic mentions it.

All that to say, if I leave the installation medium in, the system goes right back to it. It happens to be ventoy, so this is an infinite loop. When I take it out.. No boot device found. I have performed system diagnostics, and apparently no hardware has been damaged.

I have also tried putting everything back to factory settings, no effect. This is a Dell Latitude e7450.

The computer has wireless internet, but no ethernet.. (I can provide ethernet [wired internet] if necessary) At least, it was able to detect the wireless, and seemed to accept the password I provided..

..something I could try as a "factory reset" could be to (attempt to) install ghostBSD (..much simpler, maybe it'll work?..), then re-attempt to install freeBSD..
 
mikethe1wheelnut said:
All that to say, if I leave the installation medium in, the system goes right back to it.
Click to expand...
Change the boot order in the BIOS/UEFI. So it doesn't try to boot from a USB stick first.

mikethe1wheelnut said:
No boot device found.
Click to expand...
Make sure CSM is enabled, the tutorial you followed used "BIOS" boot, your system might be UEFI booting by default.

If you're going to re-do the installation, make sure to select "BIOS+UEFI" so the system can boot both ways.
 
The installer media should be removed best after the machine has powered down. Make sure the FreeBSD system is the first boot device set in BIOS/UEFI boot menu, or choose menu entry from the machines boot manager device list, usually bound to a function key (e.g. F12).
 
SirDice said:
Change the boot order in the BIOS/UEFI. So it doesn't try to boot from a USB stick first.


Make sure CSM is enabled, the tutorial you followed used "BIOS" boot, your system might be UEFI booting by default.

If you're going to re-do the installation, make sure to select "BIOS+UEFI" so the system can boot both ways.
Click to expand...
T-Daemon said:
The installer media should be removed best after the machine has powered down. Make sure the FreeBSD system is the first boot device set in BIOS/UEFI boot menu, or choose menu entry from the machines boot manager device list, usually bound to a function key (e.g. F12).
Click to expand...

In my bios, as I understand it, I have several boot options:

Diskette Drive (N/A) (Is this a floppy?)
Internal HDD (I assume this is what I want)
USB Storage Device (The installer media I'm being explicitly told to remove, so N/A)
CD/DVD/CD-RW Drive (N/A)
Onboard NIC (Another computer connected via wireless or ethernet?) (N/A)

So I should have a boot sequence of one item, the Internal HDD, right?

I do not see SCM listed anywhere, will have to look for it..

Boot list options are:

Legacy, UEFI -> I can't choose both. Maybe I'm looking in the wrong place. I am currently set to Legacy.

I do not see any option to boot from freeBSD.
 
..I switched the boot option to UEFI, added a boot option, there seemed to be something there to choose, I chose it, named it freeBSD, and instructed the system to boot from it. ... "No bootable devices found"

With "Internal HDD" as the only selected boot device, still, "No bootable devices found".

..changed the boot mode to "UEFI, secure boot off". In principle, this is necessary if the "freeBSD" option I created in the bios is to get selected. .. "No bootable devices found"

..I think that the "freeBSD" boot option has not been created. Somewhere, somehow, what the installer was supposed to do did not get done. I made a mistake somewhere in the installation process. I have done it several times, to make sure I removed the installation media at as close to the right time as I could.

Reconfirmed that my system is set to boot from UEFI, secure boot off. Explicitly selected the thing I called "freeBSD" (that I have no idea what it actually is). This time, no "No bootable devices found", it just gives me the three options for what else to try.

Interesting, when I set the boot order to 1) usb drive, 2) internal HDD, then reboot and go back into the bios, I get only one option under legacy boot: Onboard NIC. (which makes no sense) ..it's kinda-like the computer is telling me that the usb drive and internal HDD are -not- options, only nic is (except it isn't).

So ya, it looks to me like freeBSD -isn't- actually installed, which would explain why the "boot machine" (the bios?) can't find it to boot from. ...my bios is Revision A22...
 
mikethe1wheelnut said:
I do not see SCM listed anywhere, will have to look for it..

Boot list options are:

Legacy, UEFI -> I can't choose both. Maybe I'm looking in the wrong place. I am currently set to Legacy.
Click to expand...
Legacy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFI#CSM_booting

mikethe1wheelnut said:
..I switched the boot option to UEFI, added a boot option, there seemed to be something there to choose, I chose it, named it freeBSD, and instructed the system to boot from it. ... "No bootable devices found"
Click to expand...
Installer didn't create a efi partition (it was set to BIOS only), so you cannot UEFI boot this install.
 
SirDice said:
If you're going to re-do the installation, make sure to select "BIOS+UEFI" so the system can boot both ways.
Click to expand...

..trying to re-install now to check if there is anywhere where this can be selected, and.. when I select "Proceed with Installation" from ZFS Configuration, I get told.. "No disk(s) present to configure". ..woops..
 
..System diagnostics now reports that the hard-drive is -not- installed. (I have not touched the system physically, haven't opened it up or anything)

found this will watch it: "no HDD found"

-> that video, and others, conclude that indeed, I need to open up the machine, re-seat the hard drive. in my case, I likely have to get a new one.
 
"Selected boot device failed."

This what I am now getting, having purchased and installed a fresh hard-drive, and repeated the installation procedure. I can think of nothing else to do but to re-watch the most detailed freeBSD installation videos I can find. There is also the handbook.
 
mikethe1wheelnut said:
I am using ventoy as my boot medium, with the disc1 iso on it.. I don't know if that is relevant. I am definitely discouraged. time for bed.
Click to expand...
Hello,

I am trying to follow this thread, but do not understand what is the issue. Do I understand correctly that you are making the fresh install?
In that case the first thing to do is to read the Handbook Chapter 2. Installing FreeBSD

If your computer supports UEFI, then my personal advice is to use UEFI only. UEFI boot is flexible, still straightforward.
It is important that your BIOS supports U(EFI) and is configured accordingly. There should be at least one EFI partition with loader in the system so that BIOS can find it and start the loader. Needs not even to be on the same disk with your bootable storage pool (assuming that you intend to use ZFS).
 
Argentum said:
Hello,

I am trying to follow this thread, but do not understand what is the issue. Do I understand correctly that you are making the fresh install?
In that case the first thing to do is to read the Handbook Chapter 2. Installing FreeBSD

If your computer supports UEFI, then my personal advice is to use UEFI only. UEFI boot is flexible, still straightforward.
It is important that your BIOS supports U(EFI) and is configured accordingly. There should be at least one EFI partition with loader in the system so that BIOS can find it and start the loader. Needs not even to be on the same disk with your bootable storage pool (assuming that you intend to use ZFS).
Click to expand...

Thank You..

My strategy at this point is to retreat to ghostBSD which I know to be much easier to install. I already spend way too much time staring at computer screens. I gave it another shot, because I really like the idea of understanding the system much better, but clearly the learning curve remains steep, or rather, the required screen-time. I hoped that video tutorials might help, seeing as they are greatly simplified (the handbook really must cover -everything-), but clearly they have failed, at least for now. Actually, my next step, after installing ghost, or in parallel, is to try to install not using ventoy, in the off-chance that this is the problem.

Your comment about UEFI is interesting. UEFI is not really on my radar yet. I will have to study it further, one of the long list of things that this whole adventure is about learning about.
 
I have now re-tried with ghostBSD, and.. same thing. so it's starting to look a hell-of-a-lot more like a hardware problem. maybe I have to replace my motherboard again? ..if that's the case.. maybe time for a new computer.. ..just bite the bullet?..
 
...system diagnostics reports my brand-new hard-drive isn't installed!!!! but it is! it's right there! I even unplugged it and plugged it back in, to be sure! ..could the contact have oxydized during the few hours I took the old one out for? or maybe the connector is busted?
 
mikethe1wheelnut said:
...system diagnostics reports my brand-new hard-drive isn't installed!!!! but it is! it's right there! I even unplugged it and plugged it back in, to be sure! ..could the contact have oxydized during the few hours I took the old one out for? or maybe the connector is busted?
Click to expand...
Hard to tell. Personally I do not think that there are issues with electrical contacts in this case.
Different MB-s have different configuration options. Some have even S.M.A.R.T. functions and drive diagnostics. (read S.M.A.R.T) But in this case it looks more like wrong boot options and boot mechanisms installed. If you have no specific need, use GPT partitions and UEFI boot. Read UEFI and this GUID Partition Table.

Read your MB manual. I have seen that with some MB-s the secure boot needs to be disabled. Some have a selection for OS type (Windows / Other). In this case select Other or whatever seems relevant.

Check if your drive has relevant partition on it and if it contains the loader.

Legacy boot is really legacy these days. You can read from Wikipedia that UEFI has been around already two decades. All modern MB-s support it and so does the FreeBSD.
 
Argentum said:
Hard to tell. Personally I do not think that there are issues with electrical contacts in this case.
Different MB-s have different configuration options. Some have even S.M.A.R.T. functions and drive diagnostics. (read S.M.A.R.T) But in this case it looks more like wrong boot options and boot mechanisms installed. If you have no specific need, use GPT partitions and UEFI boot. Read UEFI and this GUID Partition Table.

Read your MB manual. I have seen that with some MB-s the secure boot needs to be disabled. Some have a selection for OS type (Windows / Other). In this case select Other or whatever seems relevant.

Check if your drive has relevant partition on it and if it contains the loader.

Legacy boot is really legacy these days. You can read from Wikipedia that UEFI has been around already two decades. All modern MB-s support it and so does the FreeBSD.
Click to expand...

Fascinating, thanks! Time to give UEFI a good solid look. ..and everything else you've mentioned.. :cool:
 
Argentum said:
Hard to tell. Personally I do not think that there are issues with electrical contacts in this case.
Different MB-s have different configuration options. Some have even S.M.A.R.T. functions and drive diagnostics. (read S.M.A.R.T) But in this case it looks more like wrong boot options and boot mechanisms installed. If you have no specific need, use GPT partitions and UEFI boot. Read UEFI and this GUID Partition Table.

Read your MB manual. I have seen that with some MB-s the secure boot needs to be disabled. Some have a selection for OS type (Windows / Other). In this case select Other or whatever seems relevant.

Check if your drive has relevant partition on it and if it contains the loader.

Legacy boot is really legacy these days. You can read from Wikipedia that UEFI has been around already two decades. All modern MB-s support it and so does the FreeBSD.
Click to expand...

On third reading of this, I'm skeptical. -Once- the hard-drive is recognized, if the machine -still- fails to boot, obviously it would be relevant. But it isn't. ..dunno. My plan is to take the computer to the store tomorrow (today), and have them look at it. It should fall under their warranty, we don't technically know yet that the problem isn't with the brand-new drive I bought, however unlikely that might seem.
 
Assuming you've once installed FreeBSD and/or GhostBSD (one of "desktop" distro of FreeBSD) but installed FreeBSD/GhostBSD does not boot (am I correct?), regardless it's legacy installation or UEFI installation.

One possibility is that your disk controller requires optional kernel module (not recognized by GENERIC kernel installed, but when the installer runs into multiuser mode, requited module is auto-loaded).

If this assumption is correct, determining which kernel module is auto-loaded and adding [your_module_name_without_.ko]_load="YES" in /boot/loader.conf could help.

You can check it by
  1. Boot from installation media.
  2. Go into Live CD mode as described in Chapter 2.10 of the Handbook.
  3. Run kldstat(8).
Usually, listed modules would not be so many on installation media. And if I recall correctly, you can read the man page for the modules there. For example, if ahc.ko is listed, you can usually read it by man ahc.

Beware! To-be-added modules in /boot/loader.conf should be minimalistic, limiting with anything below is adviced:
  • cannot boot without it,
  • known NOT to work when loaded after loader kicked kernel.
 
T-Aoki said:
One possibility is that your disk controller requires optional kernel module (not recognized by GENERIC kernel installed, but when the installer runs into multiuser mode, requited module is auto-loaded).
...
  1. Go into Live CD mode as described in Chapter 2.10 of the Handbook.
Click to expand...
I think Live CD has GENERIC kernel as well and we know that it recognizes the drive and performs the installation. That means there is no HW fault or disk driver compatibility issue.
It seems more a boot problem to me. OP can also go to Live system and check the geom disk list to see if the drive is recognized and also gpart show (geom(8), gpart(8)).
 
Argentum said:
I think Live CD has GENERIC kernel as well and we know that it recognizes the drive and performs the installation. That means there is no HW fault or disk driver compatibility issue.
Click to expand...
Yes, unlike ancient multiple-diskette installers. (If I recall correctly, in the era, special "installer" kernel was built and used.)
My point is that something not included in GENERIC is required, but not automatically added in /boot/loader.conf (would be the intended behaviour).
 
T-Aoki said:
My point is that something not included in GENERIC is required, but not automatically added in /boot/loader.conf (would be the intended behaviour).
Click to expand...
In that case the installer is not able to recognize the disk and write on it. Also, rarely the SATA controllers are incompatible, especially in ordinary desktop MB-s.
But going to Live mode can help a lot in finding the issue.
 
Argentum said:
In that case the installer is not able to recognize the disk and write on it. Also, rarely the SATA controllers are incompatible, especially in ordinary desktop MB-s.
But going to Live mode can help a lot in finding the issue.
Click to expand...
Not 100% sure, but as installer can invoke LiveCD mode, it should be in multiuser. So isn't devd / devmatch running and pick needed modules to be loaded automatically, if exist in /boot/kernel of the installer media?
 
T-Aoki said:
Assuming you've once installed FreeBSD and/or GhostBSD (one of "desktop" distro of FreeBSD) but installed FreeBSD/GhostBSD does not boot (am I correct?), regardless it's legacy installation or UEFI installation.
Click to expand...

..this computer has had windows, then ubuntu, then freebsd, then ubuntu on it. The last ubuntu was on it for at least a year. In the past few days I have tried to put freebsd and ghostbsd on it, with no success. all of these attempts have been with legacy, uefi only gradually coming on my radar.

T-Aoki said:
One possibility is that your disk controller requires optional kernel module (not recognized by GENERIC kernel installed, but when the installer runs into multiuser mode, requited module is auto-loaded).

If this assumption is correct, determining which kernel module is auto-loaded and adding [your_module_name_without_.ko]_load="YES" in /boot/loader.conf could help.

You can check it by
  1. Boot from installation media.
  2. Go into Live CD mode as described in Chapter 2.10 of the Handbook.
  3. Run kldstat(8).
Usually, listed modules would not be so many on installation media. And if I recall correctly, you can read the man page for the modules there. For example, if ahc.ko is listed, you can usually read it by man ahc.

Beware! To-be-added modules in /boot/loader.conf should be minimalistic, limiting with anything below is adviced:
  • cannot boot without it,
  • known NOT to work when loaded after loader kicked kernel.
Click to expand...

This remains greek for now. I understand that I am looking for something on the -installation media-, which is interesting. I will look into all of this.

I will respond to others, then report recent findings..
 
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